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Earth 93
On this earth, all myths appear to have some basis in reality, and magic lurks in the shadows of the modern world. Most ordinary humans are locked out of the loop of the supernatural-- both for the protection of some of those supernatural agents themselves (Witch hunts, anyone?), and because they are more easily able to manipulate humanity from the shadows. However, when it comes to people with higher ranks (ie, national level actors--like the President), it is an open secret. Some people on every level are aware of the supernatural, but most would simply be laughed off if they tried to reveal the truth to the outside world. Adult Humans in particular have an uncanny ability to ignore anything that doesn't fit with their preconceived notions about how the world works--meaning that oftentimes it is younger children who have an ability to see through magical glamours and tricks that would fool most any adult. Magical societies and creatures were hidden from society for several hundred years, but now many seek to take control, causing no small amount of chaos as various older forces in the supernatural community are fighting to preserve the status quo of secrecy, while radicals from various groups are trying into usher in a "brand new world" where the Supernatural is out in the open--usually with them in charge. History The Age of the Gods For countless years, the gods ruled over the Earth. They allowed Mortal rulers to rule directly but almost all were truly subject to one Patheon or another. The Great Shadow Wars The Shadow wars were the conflict that ended the age of complete control by the gods. Afterwards, the gods still had great influence, but could rarely rule directly. They began with the human invention of iron, the starbane. Iron is an artificial metal and it is what kills stars. Iron has the power to disrupt magic and in certain situations it can even hurt the gods themselves. When humans invented irons and began spreading them to the other mortal races, it proved that the gods were not all powerful. This began the first Great Shadow War, known to modern mortals as the Bronze Age Collapse. The shadow wars continued as various pantheons manipulated mortals into fighting for them as a desperate attempt to regain their power. WW2 or the Third Lesser Shadow War Arcane Axis When the Axis made their bid for world domination, they did not act alone. The Vampire Clans of Élőhalott and Cruor were allied with the Nazis. The Élőhalott wanted to rule openly in parts of the Soviet Union, and the Cruor looked forward to an age of death and Blood. Several of the main werewolf tribes supported the Axis (but there are many who chose to remain neutral, and a few lone wolves whose human half sided with the Allies), as did a group of dark wizards called the Hexengrau. The Norse Gods were split. Tyr, Hel, Jorgamund, Fenrir, Skadi and even Freya, all supported the Axis. Thor and Baldr supported the Allies. Odin and Loki pretended to be neutral but secretly supported the Allies. The Olympians saw the potential rise of Italy as their best chance to establish themselves, so they supported the Axis. The Egyptian gods had retreated from the mortal world for centuries, but a few resented British encroachment on their sacred sites enough to support the Axis. Many Kami supported the Japanese. Several orders of Demons worked with the Axis. Arcane Allies The Elves supported their friends the British. They went on Guerilla campaigns and even trained a human, Jack Churchill, to fight in their style. Some unscrupulous Dwarves made weapons for the Axis, but the government of Niðavellir made weapons exclusively for the Allies. They used their craftsmanship and their network of tunnels to aid the American Lend-Lease Program. The Seelie Court supported the Allies. They used their magic to make the D-Day crossing safe. The Unseelie court initially supported the Axis, but switched sides leading to one of the few examples of Seelie-Unseelie cooperation. They made the Russian Winter worse to slow the Nazi invasion. The Circle of the Wise was initially neutral, but agreed to support the Allies after the intervention of the Hexengrau. Magic Magic is a type of energy which certain creatures are able to manipulate, either by instinct, or through advanced study and training. It isn't, as in some stories, a substitute for physics and scientific understanding, but is best understood as something that physicists and modern scientists have failed to take into account when discovering the fundamental principles that govern how the world works. This means that, in many cases, magic works hand-in-hand with the principles of modern science, including physics, chemistry, biology, etc. The best practitioners of learned magic have at least a basic understanding of modern science, and apply that knowledge when doing magic. Natural Magic Many creatures can practice magic based purely on instinct. Dwarves can enhance the crafting of metal and stone. Elves can practice minor works of magic just by singing. Learned Magic Ancient humans discovered that anyone could practice magic with enough study. It required extenisive study, not just of the magic itself, but all other aspects of the world. While very difficult to learn, this magic is extremely versatile and useful. It is only limited by the user's study and creativity. Spellcasting Learned magic, more than any other, involves spellcasting. A spell is any specific words or series of words that, when combined with magical energy result in some specific result. In general, the spells work best when the incantation (the words of the spell) is in a language the enchanter is not fluent in, to prevent word connotations from adding any unnecessary emotion into the spell (which would make the spell more powerful, but harder to control). There are various subtypes including: * Summoning spells- spells used to summon various creatures. These work by a combination of an invocation of the true name of the person you want to summon and a binding circle (basically a circle drawn on the ground imbued with magical energy to function as a sort of trap. This works for most immortals, but beware: The more powerful the being you are trying to summon is, the more energy it takes to effectively bind them. * Necromancy- spells to raise the dead. Illegal under the Edictorum Arcani for at least a thousand years, but that doesn't stop some dark wizards from trying. Requires a magical focus to keep the reanimated animated and under the control of the Necromancer. If the Necromancer loses the focus to someone else, that person gains control of the zombies, and if the focus is destroyed, the zombies die again. * Evocation- spells that give the user powers over the traditional "elements" (earth, wind, fire, water, lightning, etc.) * Illusions/Glamours- spells that make others see things that are not there or see things differently than how they really are. * Transmogrification- spells that transform things into other things. * Psychomancy- spells involving mind control of others. Also Illegal under the Edictorum Arcani for a millienium, but some evil wizards do it anyway. * Kinetomancy- spells that give the user the power to move things with their mind. One of the most common spell types. * Chronomancy- spells that manipulate time itself. One of the most advanced and dangerous forms of magic. Is not directly banned by the Edictorum Arcani, but texts on this subject are kept under strict lock and key in the vaults of Avalon. Potion Making Potion making is another subfield of learned magic, in which practitioners combine various magical ingredients in a pot, boiling them up with a hint of magic, to create liquids that, when consumed, have certain effects. Some experienced wizards are able to come up with new formulae for potions under their own expertise, but most tend to use well-known recipes in various Potion-making texts. Common Potions include: * Potions of Augmentation- some potions allow users to boost their abilities/natural qualities for a temporary period of time. These include: ** Potion of Speed ** Potion of Strength ** Potion of Wisdom ** Potion of Night Vision ** Potion of Beauty ** Potion of Good Fortune- makes the user abnormally lucky * Potions of Powers- these potions give the users temporary abilities that they didn't have before, including: ** Potion of Invisibility ** Potion of Flight ** Potion of Invulnerability ** Potion of Poison Resistance ** Potion of Shape-changing (allows the user to change into a specific form) ** Potion of Fire-breathing ** Potion of Breathing Underwater * Potions of Ill-effects- these potions are usually used to have a negative effect on others, often by surreptitiously slipping it into the target's drink/food ** Love Potions- force the affected to fall permanently in love with a specific person (usually designed to be the potion's maker). Since this is basically a magical date-rape drug, these are illegal under Edictorum Arcani. ** Potion of Mind Control- also illegal under the Edictorum Arcani ** Potion of Gastrointestinal Distress ** Potion of Ugliness ** Potion of Slowness- two types, one that makes the user physically slower than normal, and another that slows their mental processes. ** Potion of Sleeping- makes the victim fall into a deep sleep. Is also used by less noble wizards for bad things. ** Potion of Blindness ** Potion of Instant and Painless Death ** Potion of a Long, Drawn-Out, Unnecessarily Cruel Why Would Anyone Inflict This On Another Soul Type of Death- Illegal under the Edictorum Arcani Ley Lines Earth is crisscrossed with streams, oceans, and lakes of magical energy, which are known as Ley lines. These lines tend to form around areas with lots of settlement and human/elf/dwarf activity. This is because the human/elf/dwarf emotions are a major source of magical energy, and the expression of such emotions releases magical energy, which accumulates over the years to form the aforementioned Ley Lines. If a place accumulates a very large amount of magical energy (forming a lake or ocean of magical energy so to speak), it can form a genius loci, which is a magical embodiment of the particular place. Experienced practitioners can claim such places as their sanctum by forming alliances with the genius loci. Such arrangements are dangerous, as genius loci often would rather be left alone, but if successful, the magic user gets much more powerful while in their sanctum, because of the massive energy source they can now tap into. Smaller Ley Lines can also be sources of magical energy, but are not always easy to find. The Realms Realms are extra-dimensional spaces created by beings of great power. When a Realm is created it is tied to a location and moment on Earth. That realm will only ever be accessible from that location, and its basic geography will always reflect the original moment of its inception, though it can become exaggerated over time and new buildings can be placed upon it. When traveling between realms one must always use the mortal world as a crossroads. Alternatively a realm may be tied to a single person or an object, but these realms are always much more limited and often the only person who can enter from outside is the creator. The smallest realms are the size of simple rooms. The largest created in living memory is the Faerieland which is estimated to be about the size of Alaska. There is a massive realm, the size of the entire Earth, called the Veil, or the Shade. The Realm is dark and misty, very hard to navigate. Wizards use the Shade to gather extra mass they need for transmutation, and to store heat they draw away from another source. When souls die they enter the shade temporarily before eventually fading and theoretically ascending to the care of God. As a consequence, many death gods made realms within the Shade called Underworlds, which store souls in various afterlives and delay the process by which souls go to the true divine afterlives. The laws of physics may not apply in the various realms as well as they do on the mortal plane, causing time to pass at different rates in different realms, as well as giving the inhabitants of various realms power to say a big "screw you" to physics while inside their realms, if they so choose. Forming a (minor) Realm is one of the more commonly used forms of Learned Magic among experienced Wizards, to the point where experienced Wizards often create small realms to function as their base of operations or as a secret hideout. It is believed that mortals can even create minor realms while they dream, connected to them instead of a specific location. Realms require a certain amount of magical energy to create, and require more energy the larger the space is. Major Realms Realms the size of a city or larger are called major realms. To create a major realm, it often requires a large group working together to create the kind of Energy necessary to do it. Some Major realms include: * Faerieland- A realm the approximate size of Alaska where the Summer and Winter Courts of the Fae are headquartered. Accessed from whats left of the ancient forests of Europe. * Avalon- an island realm the size of New York City. Home to one of the most well known wizards of all time: Merlin. Generally a save haven for Wizards of all ages, it is also the home to various magical artifacts, including the mystical sword Excalibur, the Holy Grail, the Spear of Destiny, and the most powerful magical focus in existence--the Elder Staff. King Arthur still sleeps in the tallest tower of the citadel, waiting for the time when he is needed most. - Accessed from the British Coast. * Mount Olympus- the mythical home to the Greco-Roman Pantheon. Has morphed over the years into a sort of reality TV show set, where the petty feuding of these gods is played for maximum melodrama. Most supernaturals not directly involved try to ignore them, but the Pantheon is desperate for attention. - Accessed from the actual mountain in Greece. * Ljosalfheim - A Realm connected to the old forests of Europe. It is now the only surviving independent elvish kingdom. It has a loose alliance with the Seelie court and the government of the United Kingdom. It was made by Queen Danu, as a home for the elvish refugees of Álfheimr after it was destroyed during Unseelie allied Roman incursions into Germania. * Niðavellir- A Realm of tunnels and underground cities deep beneath the earth. It is said that the tunnels connect across the world, even beneath the Atlantic to America. * The City of Shadows- a realm made by the Black Circle in cooperation with the Guild of Shadows to create a hideout for the dark forces. It is about the size of a small city. It's basically a city, only where all the architecture is Gothic-inspired and every road is a dark alley. - Accessed from a few secret entrances around the globe. * The Plutonian Underworld- Hades's dominion. Being one of the more responsible of the Greek gods, Hades has no time for the foolishness of his brothers and sisters, spending his time instead meteing his own brand of justice towards the deceased in his dominion. The Plutonian Underworld is a Realm within the Realm of the Shade. Major Wise Circle Realms The Circle of the Wise maintains strongholds in small realms around the world. * Avalon: The largest and the capital of the Circle of the Wise. * Imperial Library of Constantinople: One of the largest and oldest Strongholds. It contains both Byzantine and Turkish sources and wizards. * University of Gondishapur: An important Iranian Stronghold. It contains the oldest records of the Persian Wizards. * The House of Wisdom: Located in Baghdad. Built at the height of the Arabic golden age. * Takshashila: An important Stronghold that changed hands between countless civilizations, from the Persians to the Gupta. It lies in modern day Pakistan. * Nalanda: One of the first universities in known history. Lies in modern day North-East India. * Kānchipuram: Stronghold in South India. * Biblioteca Marciana: Important Stronghold of Renaissance Venice. * Simatai: A Stronghold along the Great Wall where Wizards and Scholars hid during the Burning of Books and Burial of Scholars. * Luoyang Taixue: A great Imperial library of Han China. * Timgad: Library in Northern Algeria. * Timbuktu Hidden Halls: One of the oldest Strongholds. * Bibliothèque Sainte-Geneviève: A Parisian Stronghold. * Hidden Halls of Iona: A secret library in Scotland dating back to the 6th century. * The Library of Congress: The largest Stronghold in North America. The Deepsea Ecology In the distant past, humaniod creatures discovered an underground ocean that connects many cave systems. Because of high raditation (due to submerdged isotopes) and high temperaturs (due to nearby magma flows) the Deepsea produces a lot of light through Cherenov Radiation. This light in turn feeds a great deal of algae (and thus indirectly cave fish) and also feeds a variety of lichens and plants within the caves and also provides a lasting supply of air for the many creatures from here. As a side effect, the radiation feeds a variety of mushrooms and other fungi. Cave animals eat the plants and each other. The Dwarves grow food in the Deepsea's light and hunt/herd cave animals. Creatures of the Deepsea Dwarves Effect on Adaption I imagine that living underground is what made them shorter. It would allow them to sneak through narrower passages and tunnels. They would probably have eyes used to lower light, and certainly eyes used to much bluer light (that's how the Deepsea glows cause physics). They would probably be a lot worse at distance running then humans because their would be little advantage to that in a narrow cave environment. However, they might trade that lower endurance for higher strength which would be useful since they would be manipulating metal and stone on a daily basis instead of wood and reeds. In the following millenia they discover agriculture and technology. They domesticate animals like boars, lizards, bats, and wolves. As their technology increases they find new ways of lighting. In early days they would probably bring great bowls of Deep Water into their homes. The water would stop glowing after a couple of days so it would have to be changed constantly. As they learn to burn coal and plants they can heat the Deep Water to keep it glowing for longer, also the fire would provide its own light. Their biggest settlements would be in caverns at the Deepsea's edge, but as their technology improves they can explore upwards and builds smaller outposts until they eventually rediscover the surface and begin trade with humans and elves, which would give them a reason to build more cities further up. A large dwarven city would probably be a set of tunnels and rooms carved into rock near/above the Deepsea, with lots of buildings constructed from the stone they excevated from the tunnels. They city would probably be surrounded by mosses, lichens, and even shrubs. The bigger cities would probably have small canals and irrigation built to bring water from the sea into the city's/farm's heart and provide cheaper lighting and more bountiful harvests. Cities further up would probably be similar systems of houses and tunnels. They might have brought up water and radioactive minerals from the Deepsea to form an artifical pond at the center of their settlements around which they would grow food in suspended fields and conduct buisiness. The advent of electrical light would make cities further from the Deepsea a lot cheaper. They would probably have a similar relationship with metals as we do with wood. Making a lot of stuff out of metal since it would be abundant while wood would be rare. They would also value precious metals for the same reason we do. Wood would probably be almost as rare and valuable as silver by weight, but would be a less effective commodity because it decays. I imagine that living underground is what made them shorter. It would allow them to sneak through narrower The oxygen underground would not be much less then above because of the algea in the Deepsea. They would probably have eyes used to lower light, and certainly eyes used to much bluer light (that's how the Deepsea glows cause physics). They would probably be a lot worse at distance running then humans because their would be little advantage to that in a narrow cave environment. However, they might trade that lower endurance for higher strength which would be useful since they would be manipulating metal and stone on a daily basis instead of wood and reeds. Dwarves have their own Adam and Even story and consider the Deep Sea to be a holy land. Goblins Small, quick, and clever. This makes me think that Goblins should originally be a race of scavengers. I figure that they were scavengers for Dwarves and Trolls, and maybe were even kept as pets like dogs. That would explain centuries of racism. I think they should be reptilian. That would help distinguis them from dwarves. They should probably be fast and clever where the dwarves are strong and honorable. Also, a cool power that would fit with the Goblins could be wall climing like geckos. It would fit with their reptilian nature, and their quick nature. Trolls They are very big and clearly predator/combat oriented. This suggests they adapted to an ecosystem with an abundance of large prey they had to hunt and compete for. I don't want to go the Terry Pratchet living statues route, but I do like the idea that other races think that's what they are. Maybe they evolved for colder conditions and are thus cold to the touch and very heat efficent. I like the idea that trolls might be so ridiculously patient that they can stand still for so long that they are mistaken for statues. This would fit with their predator aspect. I figure that Trolls must have evolved in an ecosystem in which their was both prey they had to fight, justifying their moments of agression, and prey that was so fast that they had to ambush, justifying patince and stony camaflouge. Shared History of the Deepsea Inhabitants Trolls were originaly shorter and less strong. They preyed on herbivores of the Deep Sea Caverns. The Dwarves had a pre-agricultural independant civilization before they discovered the trolls. The Goblins adapted to be scavnegers to both civilizations. When the three all came into contact the Trolls adapted to eat the Dwarves and Goblins, becoming better fighters and better ambushers for each type of prey. I like the idea of the Goblins resenting pet status, so I suggest that all current living goblins are the descendnats of those Goblins domesticated by the Trolls. I suggest that around the time agriculture was developed the Dwarves became better able to defend themselves and the Goblins began an uprising. The Dwarves hate the Trolls because they preyed on them for centuries. The Trolls consider the Dwarves inferior upstarts who took the Deep Sea awat from them. The Trolls regard Goblins as little more than cattle while the Goblins obviously hate the trolls for treating them like animals. The Dwarves see the Goblins as scavengers and theives and probably have some examples of atrocities in their early history to justify later hatred, while the Goblins resent the Dwarves for not helping them and not letting them have land on the Deepsea, the Goblins consider themsleves to be the ones that history never gave a real chance to. Plus, when agriculture is invented they all need access to the limited area that borders the Deep Sea because that's the best place to grow food. The Arcane Parley Background After the last great shadow war the magical and mundane powers of the world met in the ruined city of Carthage and wrote the Great Parley, which established rules regarding the way magical entities and powerful Mortals should interact. Provisions It set up a caste system for its signatories and set rules for duels and treaties. All members agree to shun anyone who breaks a treaty of the Parley, or breaks the laws of the Parley. Different ranks have different rights under the accords. Rankings The Parley set up a ranking system for its members. At the top were Scriptors, those who directly signed the Parley on behalf of their realms. This included high gods and emperors. In rare cases the Scriptor could be a group, corporation, or a legal document (like the Roman Senate for Rome, and the American constitution for the United States). No one can become a new Scriptor unless they are recognized by all current Scriptors or if they can sue for status as a Scriptor from a previous source. At most there has been 29 Scriptors at one time. Next were subscriptors. Those who commanded realms and could hand down authority to the people of their realms, but relied on Scriptors to be recognized under the Parley. This included Kings, Ministers, and other powerful individuals. While subscriptors technically derive authority from their scriptors, in practice they cannot be removed from the Parley by their Scriptors except in extreme cases. After that there is nobility. This can be powerful corporate leaders, literal barons and dukes, or elected officials. Then there are retainers, tradesmen and warriors sword in service to Scriptors, subscriptors, or nobles. Some retainers and nobles are Knights, they technically have only their own rank, but when on missions they act as if they had the authority of the people they are sworn to. This includes both literal Knights Errant and Navy Seals. The last rank is subjects, those who are subject to the Signatories of the Arcane Parley. They might not even be aware of the Arcane Parley. However, there are also outsiders. These can be killed by Parley members without repercussions. Current Scriptors - 26 The Holy See(Derived from the Throne of Jupiter), The British Crown, The United States Constitution, The Russian Emperor (Claim to be third Caesar), The Chinese Communist Leader (Derived from Chinese imperial history), The Indian Prime Minister (Derived from Great Khan through Muhgal Empire, also claimed unsuccessfully by Pakistan), The Brahman Council, The Caliphate (Currently unoccupied, claimed by many), The Shah, The Diet of Japan (Formally the Shogunate), The Great Sultan (Currently unoccupied), The Council of the Wise, The Seelie Court, The Unseelie Court, Temptation Incorporated, Lycaon Council, The First One (Legendary vampire patient zero), The Court of Ra, The Global Guild of Alchemists, The Order of Masons,The Court of Ljosalfheim, King of Niðavellir, The Buddha, and The Security Council. Races The Mortal Races * Humans - The most common of the Mortal races and the only one which is not entirely magic sensitive. Humans can only sense magic if they are trained to do so. Before the widespread use of iron, humans were widely seen as simple worship fodder by the gods. Before the Industrial Revolution, they were seen as simple minded subjects by the other races. * Dwarves - Dwarves are said to have hidden underground in the mists of time where they adapted to the darkness and depth. To fit in tunnels they became shorter and stockier. They learned to ecolocate like bats or dolphins. Their hands are strong but very dexterous. Their sense of touch is much better than humans. Their average natural lifespan is 4-5 times longer to humans, but they usually die before then do to feats of daring and danger. ** The CIA, in flagrant violation of long established, (albeit somewhat racist) policies against supplying dwarves with wands, has been selling them black market ones, in the hopes of overthrowing the Elder Conclave (so they can be replaced by a more American equivalent). * Elves - Evolved to be like humans except with access to magic. They are taller, longer lived, faster, and better at magic. Some Elves tend to hold themselves as morally as well as physically superior to humans, but history has shown them to be as fallible as humans, if not more so. They have more weaknesses than they admit. They are slightly less strong then humans, but their most significant weakness is their lower pain tolerance. Their average lifespan is 4-5 times longer than humans. * Pixies - Flying humanoids. The smallest is little bigger than a dragon fly. The biggest is about the size of a small child. They glow with a light that accelerates healing in other species. * Wizards- humans, dwarves, or elves with the ability to do Learned Magic, which gives them enhanced lifespan as well as a slight healing factor. Only the most powerful and learned magicians are considered Wizards. * Shapeshifters- Humans, elves, or dwarves who have the magical ability to change their form into that of different animals. Some have this as their only magical ability, while others have this in addition to other magics. Shapeshifting is a very difficult form of learned magic, but is extremely useful to those who work hard enough to achieve it. * Berserkers: Warrior Humans or dwarves with an ability to go into a state known as berserker rage if incensed enough. This state gives the berserker superhuman strength and durability, as well as being very terrifying to observe. * Knights Errant- Humans, Elves, and Dwarves who are Parleyed Knights in service to either a church or nation, but go on quests to fight monsters and defend the innocent instead of simply serving their lords. They fight all the monsters listed above, but especially demons. Many are affiliated with various religious orders, but religiosity is certainly not a requirement. Immortals and the Undead * Gods- a variety of very powerful figures, who had been worshipped in different eras. * Angels- mystical beings aligned with the Judeo-Christian God, who strive to prevent the machinations of Demons when they try to interfere with free will (which is all the time). * Monsters- include a variety of creatures that prey on normals in the night, most of whom have lifespans expanded to the point where they could feasibly live forever, if no one kills them with their various weaknesses- ** Vampires- Shapeshifters who feed on human blood. They can transform themselves into really pretty people or bats, if they so choose, and their stare can hypnotize people into doing their bidding. Their weaknesses include objects of faith, direct sunlight, and they really don't like garlic. Most vampires also have some obsessive tendencies, including sometimes a compulsion to count small items. ** Zombies- corpses animated to do the bidding of the truly evil: Necromancers (wizards who bring things back from the dead). Animating a Zombie is a cruel act, separating the soul of the corpse from reality. Zombies do actually contain part of the spirit of the person whose body it once was, but they lack free will, trapped in their own rotting corpse. Zombies can only be re-killed if the spell that enchanted their reanimation is destroyed. Usually Necromancers use some kind of focus to keep the spell going, and destroying this focus unravels the spell. ** Ghouls- Human-shaped-man-eating monstrosities who revel in causing pain to their victims before consuming them. They can die pretty much any way humans can, but they are generally much tougher than humans are. ** Skinwalkers- shapeshifting creatures from Native American Mythology, who get power from being feared and causing suffering. Really hard to kill, short of all-out nuclear war. ** Mindeaters- Flying cloaked figures who literally eat away people's positive emotions and thoughts, leaving people emotionally destroyed, and/or completely insane. Their weakness is the expression of true love or compassion towards their victims. Such expressions are a purer form of magic than Mindeaters can handle, and, if the expression is pure and open enough, such expressions cause the Mindeater's head to explode. ** Shadowmen - Monsters who feed on fear, and do this by transforming themselves into whatever their target fears most. Formerly known as Boogeymen, until humanity stopped taking that name seriously/began to laugh at them. Their one weakness is laughter. ** Werewolves- Humans, elves, or dwarves cursed to turn into a wolf in the light of the full moon. Oftentimes more sympathetic than most monsters, as most lack control of their wolf forms and are generally horrified by the destruction they leave in their path. Some, however, embrace their inner wolf, and go full on evil. Their weakness is silver. ** The Lecherous Liches- beings who remain undead and beautiful by feeding off of the energy of the young, specifically through sex. They are addicted to sex, and, if they go too long without it, they will waste away into nothing. ** Ghosts- Souls who, for whatever reason, refuse to move on after death. Often it is the spirit of one who had unfinished business to deal with in their life. Cannot really be killed as such (being already dead), but can be banished from this plane into the next one with the right spells or if the unfinished business on this plane is finished somehow. ** Demons- beings who rebelled against the Judeo-Christian God, and now spend their times trying to control humans in order to get their souls. Once they get these souls, they can possess the human/elf/dwarf whose soul it was, which imbues the form with new powers. Some demons specialize in making deals with mortals for their souls in exchange for certain things the mortal wants. Such deals are incredibly dangerous, because, while a demon will usually not directly lie, they often will twist the terms of the deal to give the human something they didn't really want, and then claim the soul for their own. They are unkillable, but can be banished from this plane or exorcised from the body of their victims. ** Beyonders- Eldritch Horrors from beyond the fringes of reality. Their very existence on this plane warps reality, giving them powers only few can effectively combat alone. Similar to Skinwalkers, they are very difficult to kill, but can be banished to wherever they came from by a powerful spellcaster. * Faeries- are divided into two courts: Seelie and Unseelie, or Summer and Winter. The Summer (Seelie) court is made up of faeries who tend to be nicer, and the Winter (Unseelie) Court is made up of the meaner faeries. The two courts spend most of their time in a Cold War state of mutually assured aggression and proxy wars, as they are bitter enemies. ** Many dwarves and elves are part of one of the courts. Those who have joined seem to change. They gain power but their personality is slowly but surely altered to align with the philosophy of the courts. They stop being able to lie, for Summer they become more compassionate, for winter they become more agressive. However, Faeries still have distinct and diverse personalities. Not all elves, dwarves or pixies are aligned with one of those two courts. Some strike out on their own, and others join other organizations. ** Humans can also join the court though only if they are below the age of thirteen. Once they join they will grow to become more dwarflike, elflike, or pixielike. ** Sidhe: As Faieries advance in the court and grow in power they change slowly until they become one of the Sidhe. The sidhe are completely ageless and incredibly powerful. They will slowly lose the distinctive features of their original race. They appear to be exceptionally beautiful and strong humans, though given their incredible powers of illusions, some think they use magic to enhance their beauty. * Dragons- winged flying lizards that breathe fire. Very cunning and very dangerous, they love treasure and often are found in caves, with a massive treasure hoard. There are two variations. ** The most common dragons, (lower case) are just interesting animals. ** The much rarer Dragons, also called Lóng, are to common dragons as humans are to apes. They have an intelligence equal to or beyond humans and are immensely powerful. * Dream-Creatures- creatures born of the imagination of children. They are the imaginary friends of children. They are only visible to children, and those who still have the imagination of a child. Whenever their children grow and forget them, they waste away and die, unless adopted by someone else. Major Organizations * The Circle of the Wise - They evolved from the remains of the Parliament of the Wise, an international organization formed by the magical scientists and scholars who served as advisers around the world, the original Wizards. The Parliament fell apart due to internal fighting but its remains became the government of the Circle, called the Elder Conclave. The Elder Conclave formed the Circle to recognize (and to a limited degree regulate) Wizards around the known world. However, unlike the Parliament, they did not try to be a unified political group. They allow their members to fight. The Council derives its authority under the Parley from the Parliament of the Wise which was one of the early Scriptors. Each Wizard is considered a Noble of the Parley. The lowest is ranked as an earl. Employees of the Circle who are not powerful enough to be considered Wizards, are listed as retainers. ** The Elder Conclave - A self perpetuating oligarchy of the oldest and most powerful Wizards. The Elder Conclave primarily enforces the Edictorum Arcani, the primary laws of magic. They allow the Wizards within the council to oppose one another and sometimes even fight, as long as they don't violate the Edicts or challenge council power. Each Elder of the Conclave is ranked as a Subscriptor with the rank of a Duke. The Elder Conclave as a whole has the rank of a king. They command a group of combat Wizards called the Watchers. ** The Watchers: A group of combat Wizards. They are loyal to the Elder Conclave and enforce the Edicts. Each Wizard is counted as a Knight in service to the Elder Conclave. * The Black Circle- An organization made up of many high-ranking practitioners of Black Magic (including Mind Control, Necromancy, and other such forbidden magics). They started out as a group of activists who wanted to reinstate the Parliament of the Wise. They turned to dark magic to achieve their ends. * The Guild of Shadows- A loose alliance of the many predatory monster clans, including the Vampires, the Ghouls, certain twisted Ghosts (like those of history's serial killers), Shadowmen, Mindeaters, some Skinwalkers, but not Beyonders. Even Shadowguilders are afraid of Beyonders. * The Princes of Blood: Eleven noble Clans of Vampires. Each one is ruled by royal family of Ancient Vampires who are the sires of almost all the other vampires in their house. The three most powerful are Clan Élőhalott (undead users of black magic), Clan Cruor (imperialist bat monsters), and Clan Mircallian, (younger and hipper vampires). * The Alchemists Guild: A group of master technicians and corporations involved in applied science pursuits. Notable members of the past include the Collegium Vasculariorum, Leonardo Da Vinci, Edison General Electric Company, and Niccola Tesla. Notable members of the present include Elon Musk, Fackelträger Incorporated, and Google. * The Wolf Reich Tribes - Werewolves are divided into several different tribes, based on how the wolf mantle is passed on. These clans are often in conflict, but have a group of arbiters called the Lycaon Council, which mediates disputes over territory and tribal law. Various tribes include (but are not limited to) the Sang Tribe (whose lycanthropy is genetic), and the Mantel Tribe (who pass down magical items of clothing which allow the user to transform into a wolf), and the Zahn Tribe (of those who pass down their lycanthropy via biting),. * The Seelie (Summer) Court- basically a monarchial nation of nicer Faeries. * The Unseelie (Winter) Court- A rival monarchial nation to the Seelie Court, this Court houses many of the more nasty faeries. * The Order of the Cruciform Sword- A massive international network of Knights, who go on quests in the name of the Christian God, with the ultimate Goal of redeeming all who are in the thrall of demons. * Temptation Incorporated- A massive organization of Demons, poorly disguised as an international corporation of perfume sellers. * The Torchlight Party- a political party of normal humans in the know of the supernatural who want it revealed to the world. Surprisingly powerful, as it contains a great many political leaders across the globe as well as having decent grassroots support in certain communities. * The Locked Vault Society- the political rival of the Torchlight Party, these supernatural and allied forces coordinate the continued secrecy of the supernatural. Notable People Historical Figures * Merlin: A time traveling magician who was one of the founding members of the Parliament of the Wise and negotiated the Arcane Parley. No one is absolutely sure where he comes from or where he went. ** Some say he was born in Britain in a timeline in which neither the Parliment of the Wise, nor the Arcane Parley ever existed, and that the world was being ripped apart by the bickering of wizards and gods. They say he learned the arts of time travel from an itinerant wizard and made his way to the Parthian dynasty of Persia where he set in motion the creation of the Arcane Parley and the Parliament of the Wise. ** The main opposition to this theory is that most evidence suggests that Time Travel cannot change the past once the future has been observed, which is backed up by Merlin's confirmed time travel trips in which he never changed the past. ** Equally mysterious is the question of where he went after the fall of Arthur's kingdom. Most say he was betrayed by an apprentice. At lest that's what is said by Ambrosius, the cool old mysterious guy who spends spends most of his time guarding the Citadel of Avalon and its vault of powerful artifacts. * King Arthur: A Romano-Celtic leader who united the Picts, Celts, and Saxons of Albion and created the 30 year Pax Albiona with Merlin's help in which none of the major Arcane powers went to war. * Napoleon: Napoleon made a big splash in the arcane community when he tried to gain status as a Scriptor. Most European countries had subscriptor status under the Catholic Church. When Napoleon crowned himself, instead of letting the pope do it, he asserted that he should be made a Scriptor. ** He tried to get the other Scriptors to support him. He invaded Italy and gave Clan Cruor positions of power. He gave werewolves free reign in certain forests. He even shifted traffic to the right side of the road so that carts would move clockwise around certain leyline intersections to woo the suport of the Summer Court. However, Britain and several others did not support him. ** He failed to sue for status as a Scriptor, so he tried to claim the Scriptor Status of Rome which the Czar of Russia currently claimed. To back up his claim he tried to conquer the other primary claimant. This was the reason for his disastrous defeat in Russia. * Benjamin Franklin - Benjamin Franklin was a wizard of the Wise Circle. He sued for American status as a Scriptor. He was unsuccessful, but set the ground work for America's eventual uplifting to Scriptor status as an incentive to not intervene in the Napoleonic Wars. * Albert Einstein: Once a promising young magical apprentice who worked at the Circle of the Wise offices in Switzerland. However, he grew bored of Magic and decided to focus on physics instead * Eisenhower: A Knight of the Cruciform Sword who fought the Nazis as a General and fought the Soviets as President. * J.R.R. Tolkien: Tolkien had some knowledge of the supernatural world when he imagined his world and the languages that occupied it. He correctly deduced that the Finnish languages were related to Elvish and how many other languages were related to the various secret civilizations. His imagined languages were very different, though surprisingly close, to the real thing. Current Figures * Jordan Alexander: A speech writer and author who ended up becoming a Knight Errant in service to the Presbytery. * Stephen Woden: A physicist who discovered magic by accident. He is now an amateur Wizard, and he is the CIA officer in charge of the Dwarf Rearmament Program. He only has the rank of a Retainer but is a Knight is service to the Scriptor of the US Constitution. * James Woden: A programmer and businessman who runs a Corporate Noble House under the Arcane Parley. He has the rank of a baron. * Sean Raymond: An ambassador in service to the Arcane Parley. * Alan Li : The current Speaker of the Elder Conclave. He is from Hong Kong and is at odds with the Chinese Communist Party. He is a staunch traditionalist and wants to maintain the authority of the Conclave and the domain of the circle. * Sam Graves: An American Detective operating out of Seattle who specializes in the Supernatural. Has no supernatural powers himself, but gets by with his wits and trusty revolver. He is currently being secretly employed by Alan Li (who he dislikes) to watch possible renegade Wizards. * Kate Sharma: An Indian-American wizard and investigative journalist. Known for being an ex-renegade. She is now a full member of the Circle of the Wise and is even a Watcher, but is still distrusted by many for choosing morals over Circle Law. She is now a collaborator of Sam Graves and defends Seattle from magical threats. * Cyrus Rahmani: A lawyer, and Wizard. After his parents died he left Iran to live with his Uncle in America. He and Kate were both taught by the same mentor and dated briefly. * Duncan MacLennan: A Wizard and ex-member of the Elder Conclave. He mentored Kate Sharma and Cyrus Rahmani. He is a veteran of the Napoleonic wars and was appointed as a temporary member of the Elder Concalve during the Second World War. * Julia Weir: An ex-fighter pilot and current bartender and mercenary. During the Iraq war her plane was shot down but she was saved by a Wizard. * Abean McMidir: A conman and Sidhe agent of the Winter Court. He is a very skillful conman despite being technically unable to lie. He is amoral, but was tricked into swearing an oath to never kill a human and to protect the humans of Seattle from monsters by Sam Graves, and has been bound by his oath ever since. * Holly Hellstrom- A very powerful necromancer and regional leader of the Guild of Shadows in Seattle. Because of a curse put on her family when she was very young, she has the appearance of an adorable eight-year-old girl, and cannot physically age past it, despite having been alive for over a century. * Valentine van Dunkelstein- a powerful rogue vampire from Clan Mircallian. Flies under the radar of most groups because his name is so outlandishly vampire-like that nobody would really suspect him of being one. * Damien Lewis- A truly evil man. His real name is shrouded in mystery. Some claim he is the original Faust, after having lost all morality after his deal with the devil. Others believe him to be the original Judas, or any of countless poor souls who tried to outwit Satan himself. What is known is that he has lived for hundreds, maybe thousands of years because he sold his soul to the devil. An unrepentant causer of mayhem and destruction as well as a dangerously effective tempter, he is a dangerous enemy of the Knights of the Cruciform Sword. * Mallory Thomas- A Knight of the Cruciform sword and Jordan Alexander's wife. Was cursed to have the worst luck imaginable in the line of duty by a demon. Still, she soldiers on. It helps when you always have someone to have your back. * Dimitri Zima: The Scriptor of the Russian federation. He seeks to expand his power and restore Russian Hegemony. There are rumors of an alliance with the Winter Court.